The Language of Flowers
by UchiHime
Summary: As every flower lover knows, flowers have a language of their own. Every sentiment is expressed in one form or another by these delicate blooms. DMHP, slight-smut warning.


Flowers and their meanings are courtesy of the 800florals website. I hope you all enjoyed the story. Please review.

This is the Fluffiest story I have ever written, seriously no angst at all. You've been warned.

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The Language of Flowers

_Gloxinias…_

The Great Hall was filled with the usual chatter of students hungrily digging in to their breakfast while ranting on to friends about any odd thing. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table along with their other housemates; Ron unceasingly raving on and on about Quidditch, while Harry barely paid attention, and Hermione tuned him out by burying her face in a book.

The continuous banter of the hall momentarily ceased with the arrival of the post owls. Harry didn't even bother looking up from his plate for he never received mail. Sirius had sent him letters at one point, but no one had bothered writing him since his godfather died and he'd started redirecting his "fan-mail" to Rita Skeeter.

Harry was absentmindedly picking at his eggs when out of no where a single flower fell on his plate. He looked up to see where the bloom had come from, but only saw a tawny color school owl flying away.

"Oh, Harry," Ginny said from across the table, "Who sent you that, it's gorgeous."

Harry shrugged as he looked down at the flower on his plate, it really was gorgeous it had lots of delicate petals opened up to show off its alluring colors. The center of the bloom was a deep violet color that immediately caught the eye, enticing it with his seemingly royal air. The edges of the petals only heightened the appeal of its violet center by contrasting it with a simple yet elegant white rimming. Harry had never seen a more beautiful flower. "A gloxinia," he whispered, recognizing it from all the time he spent working in his aunt's garden.

"Wow Harry," Neville Longbottom said, "Someone must really be crushing hard on you."

"Huh, why do you say that?" Harry asked looking up at his friend while his fingers gently stroked the velvet soft petals.

"Don't you know gloxinias are generally associated with love at first sight?" Neville said before adding with a light blush, "Gran made me read her language of flower books over the summer, she said that it's about time I got a girlfriend and the quickest way for someone as inarticulate as me to woo a girl is by sending her flowers. But you can't just send any old flower; any properly bred girl would know the meanings behind the blooms."

"Love at first sight," Harry said gazing at the flower on his plate. He could see why it would have that meaning, the gloxinia flower was alluring, enticing to look at, and just plain beautiful Harry had been entranced by it and first glance.

"Any idea who sent it?" Hermione asked.

Harry shook his head. "Not a clue," he admitted absently, never taking his eyes off the gorgeous flower.

_Pink Camellias…_

Harry walked into Gryffindor changing room after Quidditch practice to shower and change back into his school robes. He opened the locker where his things were kept and was instantly caught of guard by a flash of pink falling from the compartment.

Harry stooped and picked up the flower that had just fallen from his locker. It had multiple layers of petals in a lovely shade of blush pink. If not for all the petals, it could almost be confused for a rose. He gently held the bloom in his hand; it was almost perfectly round and felt soft against his callused fingers.

"A pink camellia Harry," Ron said seeing what his best friend was holding. "Fred sent a bunch of those to his girlfriend over the summer. Said they meant he was thinking of her. I think he said the literal translation is longing for you. First love at first sight, now longing for you, Merlin Harry someone must be really into you to be sending you all these flowers. Still no idea who they're from?"

Harry shook his head before placing the pink camellia back into his locker. "Nope, but seeing how popular I seem to be at the moment they could be from any one of three thousand girls."

_Daffodils…_

Harry set in the library by himself trying to complete his Potions' essay. After failing to remember the sixth use of bottled sea breeze, he decided to search the shelves for a reference book to help him. Normally he would have just asked Hermione, but she and Ron were busy with prefect duties and he was on his own. Standing from his table he wandered through the shelves in search of a book that would help him. Finding what he was looking for he returned to the table and froze when he saw a shock of yellow laying across his parchment.

He recognized the bright yellow daffodils as one of the flowers his aunt made him pull out of the garden as weeds, despite the beauty he believed they held. Aunt Petunia said daffodils are nothing more that common weeds because they grow everywhere without needing to be planted and thus had no place in her garden. Placing the reference book he'd gotten for help with his essay down on the table, Harry returned to the shelves in search of another book.

Finding the book Neville had told him about, the one about the Language of Flowers, he quickly flipped though the pages until he came across a sketch of a daffodil. "Regard, Unrequited Love, You're the Only One, the Sun is Always Shining when I'm with you." He read aloud softly, before slamming the book closed and pushing it back on the shelf, a light blush dusting his cheeks. Returning to the table he grabbed his school stuff and rushed out of the library, leaving the bright yellow flower behind.

_Tulips…_

This was getting out of hand. It was dinner time in the Great Hall and Harry was sitting talking with his friends and enjoying his meal when out of no where Hedwig flew in and dropped in front of him a bouquet of three tulips each in a different color.

Harry sighed and glanced at Neville, silently asking for the meaning of the blooms. "Tulips in general mean perfect lover," Neville said in a small voice, "but each color has a separate meaning as well. The red means 'believe me, a declaration of love'. The yellow says 'there's sunshine in your smile', and variegated simple mean 'beautiful eyes'."

"Aww that is so sweet," Lavender said. "Who sent them?"

"I don't know, but they need to stop." Harry grumbled, trying to fight down his embarrassment.

"I think it's rather endearing," Ginny said. "Someone is trying to woo you."

"I don't think I want to be wooed," Harry replied. "This is getting out of hand."

"Nonsense, you're just not used to anyone showing you this kind of affection, you're just a bit embarrassed; that's all." Hermione said, closing the book she'd been reading, "You must admit it is a bit sweet."

Harry blushed, he wasn't going to admit it but Hermione was right. He wasn't used to people showing affection to him like this, especially not trying to woo him. It was rather flattering to him and intriguing how someone could be saying so much to him without actually saying a word. He feared that if things continued on like this he'd find himself falling heavily for the person behind the flowers and he would get hurt. He didn't know who was sending him the blooms, but they were enchanting him and stealing more and more of his heart with each delivery.

Harry wasn't ready to give his heart just yet, if he was he would have acted on his crush years ago and would have told…

"Humph, it's not fair," Lavender pouted. "I want someone to send me flowers."

_White Violets…_

The dainty white violets were found in his school bag. He wasn't sure how they'd gotten in there, but he had stopped questioning the appearance of the blooms a long time ago. He had been receiving flowers from the mysterious source for about a month now, and no matter how much Harry pretended he was getting annoyed with them Harry had to admit they were rather endearing and he was becoming a bit enamored with the secret crush that was sending them. Not that it really mattered since Harry still had a crush on someone else, someone he'd been crushing on for years.

There was something else special about the white violets other than the fact that they had appeared in his school bag; they were the first flowers to come with a note attached to them. When Harry had pulled the blooms from his bag while sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room Hermione had immediately smiled. "White violets 'let's take a chance'," she recited, having read and memorized the entire Language of Flowers book at this point, Harry was close to memorizing it by now as well, along with a lot of his Gryffindor friends that were making a game about what kind of flower Harry would receive next and what the meaning would be, they had also taken a bet on who the mystery person was.

Harry nodded and repeated the meaning under his breath 'let's take a chance' before picking up the piece of paper that had been wrapped around the bundle of flowers, _Astronomy Tower, nine o'clock. _It read in elegant script that looked vaguely familiar to Harry.

"What does it say?" Ron asked, trying to peer at the slip of paper.

"They want to meet up," Harry said simply, folding the paper and stuffing it in his pocket.

"What? When? Are you going?" Ron demanded to know.

"Of course he's going Ron, why wouldn't he?" Hermione said, before turning to Harry with a cold glare. "You are going right?"

Harry blushed and tried not to squirm under her harsh look. "Uh, I'm not sure," he mumbled sheepishly. "You see there's already someone that I like."

"That's beside the point. This person has been trying to win you over for a month now, the least you can do is meet them and let them know if they have a chance or not."

"But, Hermione…"

"No buts Harry, you're going and that's final."

_Red Rose…_

Harry stood at the bottom of the steps leading up to the Astronomy Tower at about forty-five minutes passed nine that night, nervously pacing back and forwards. He knew he was late to meeting his mysterious crush, but he couldn't bring himself to climb the steps. He'd been down there for an hour now and still couldn't make himself go up. What happened to his supposed Gryffindor courage? He knew if the person crushing on him was waiting they probably thought they had been stood up by now, but Harry's nerves wouldn't allow him to go.

Chewing ceaselessly on his lower lip Harry made another pass in front of the door to the tower. His hands were sweating and his heart was pacing, this was worst than the case of nerves he'd gotten before his very first Quidditch match. Harry let out an exasperated sigh. "Come on Harry," he said to himself, "You can do this." He stopped in front of the door and raised a hand but before he touched the door, it started to open. Panicking, Harry stepped back away the entrance and pulled on his invisibility cloak.

In the low torch light of the hallway he watched as a familiar blond head stepped out of the door of the Astronomy Tower. Draco Malfoy glanced around the seemingly empty hallway before shooting a look back over his shoulder at the tower then turning and rushing away. Harry watched him retreat solemnly, the look of pain that he had briefly glimpsed on the other boy's face made him wince in sympathy. But what could Draco Malfoy have been doing on the Astronomy Tower at this time of night unless…

Harry turned and rushed up the steps he hadn't had the courage to climb earlier, bursting out into the open air of the tower. Glancing around the darkness eagerly searching for someone, he sighed in defeat when no one else was there. Just as he turned to leave, a glint of red attracted his attention as it reflected in the moonlight. Walking over to the edge of the tower he picked up the single red rose.

Harry collapse under the weight of understanding as he cradled the bloom to his chest. Even in the Muggle world everyone knew what a single red rose meant. "He loves me," Harry mumbled in disbelief. "Draco Malfoy loves me."

_Carnations and Jonquil…_

Harry sat quietly in the Great Hall at breakfast time the next morning. He had hardly spoken all day, or since he'd returned from his trip to the Astronomy Tower the night before. It was well after ten o'clock when Harry had returned to the Gryffindor Tower the previous night. Before anyone could ask how the meeting had gone, Harry had brushed passed them and had gone straight up to the dorm and pulled the curtains around on his bed. He refused to talk to anyone and no one had seen him until he'd drifted down for breakfast. Everyone had eventually given up on questioning him about his meeting since he avidly refused to answer; instead he just sat there eating in a sort of daze.

When the post owls came all the Gryffindors were eager to see what sort of flower Harry would receive that day, if any at all, to offer some form of insight to what had happened to the boy who lived. Sure enough, as if summoned by the teens' thoughts the post owls flew in and three flowers fell in front of Harry; two flowers that were all petals and beauty and a third that looked almost like a daffodil only it was white outside and yellow in.

"A yellow and a red carnation and a jonquil," Neville said softly.

"'You have disappointed me'," Hermione said the meaning of the yellow bloom and then added the red and the white, "'my heart aches for you', 'love me, desire for affection returned.' Harry what happened last night?" She suddenly demanded.

Harry sighed, knowing he couldn't avoid answering anymore. "I- I was too scared to go up. I spent an hour at the bottom of the steps, too afraid to go up. And then I heard someone coming down and the door opened. I hid under my cloak. Hermione it was… and he left… I just can't believe…" Harry couldn't bring himself to finish the sentences.

"Come on Harry, tell us who it was," Hermione coaxed.

Harry shook his head sullenly. "I've had this crush on him for so long. And then the flowers… and he looked so sad when he thought I didn't show… Hermione he left me a rose."

_Ambrosia and Hyacinth…_

Harry knew he couldn't openly send the flowers he wanted. If he did then everyone would know that it was Draco Malfoy that had been trying to woo Harry Potter for the last month, but Harry knew he had to do something. He couldn't leave things the way they were.

Summers spent locked away at Number Four Privet Drive had given Harry time to develop talent at some things he otherwise would not have had the time to develop. Among those talents was a skill with art. He wasn't exactly the best artist around, but he was more than passable at pencil sketches and oil pastels. After thinking it over a few times, Harry decided that he could use these skills to help him out.

No one questioned Harry about the hours he spent in the back of the library, pouring over illustrated books on flowers, and cross referencing them a million times before pulling out a muggle pencil and working away over a piece of parchment. A few pieces of parchment were discarded after he deemed them unsatisfactory. Eventually after dubbing one of his penciled parchments acceptable, he reverted to the use of a wizards quill and different shades of ink to add color to the draft. Harry sat back and beamed at his finished work.

It was a simple sketch really, a bunch or bundle of bell shaped purple hyacinth flowers in full bloom showing off their lovely violet and white blooms. Leaning against the steam of the hyacinth plant was a peachy yellow colored ambrosia with its petals spread wide and welcoming. Lying beside the ambrosia was a cluster of white violets. It had taken a lot of work the draw the flowers, the hyacinth especially because one plant was composed of many small blooms shooting from the same steam, but Harry thought it was all worth it.

He doubled check the language of flower book one last time, despite the fact it was too late to change it now if he'd drawn the wrong plants. He nodded his contentment. "Hyacinth (purple): I am sorry, please forgive me, sorrow." The flipped back pages towards the beginning of the book. "Ambrosia: your love if reciprocated." He quickly added one last message to the parchment and rolled it up.

Now all there was left to do was deliver the drawing. Deciding to take a page out of Draco's own book, he headed up to the owlery and tied the drawing to the leg of one of the school owls. Dinner would be starting soon, and the owl would deliver the message sometime during the meal.

Not twenty minutes later, Harry was sitting in the Great Hall with his friends when an owl flitted into the room. The Gryffindors all looked up, expecting the owl to head towards them with another flower for Harry, but to their surprise it flew to the Slytherin table and landed in front of the Ice Prince himself. Seeing that the owl wasn't for them most of the Gryffindors turned back to their meals, but Harry couldn't stop himself peeking over at the Slytherins as Draco unrolled the parchment.

Just for a brief moment Draco let his shock at the picture to show on his face as he instantly looked up and caught Harry's eye from across the Hall. Harry offered a sheepish smile and Draco pulled his eyes away and schooled them back on the parchment. Harry barely caught the brisk nod the Slytherin gave as he rolled up the parchment and stored it away. Harry smiled and turned his attention back to his meal, eager for nine o'clock to roll around.

_Primrose and Mistletoe…_

Harry arrived early to the Astronomy Tower that evening, and waited silently under the night sky for his crush to arrive. Harry was almost nervous Draco wouldn't show, what if the Slytherin decided to get revenged for being stood up, or worst what if he decided Harry wasn't worth his time or effort anymore? Harry had almost worked himself into a fit convinced that he was being foolish and Draco wouldn't show, when the door at the top of the tower opened.

"Harry," an all too familiar voice called out to him.

A shiver went down Harry's spine as he turned and found Draco standing nervously by the door of the tower, his blond hair glinting in the moonlight like spun silver and his mercury colored eyes overflowing with various different emotions: relief, love, fear.

"Malfoy, you came," Harry said softly.

Draco steeled the emotions dancing in his eyes and fixed his gaze on Harry. "Of course I came, unlike someone I keep my dates." He snarled, though with not nearly as much venom as was usually in his voice.

"I'm sorry about that," Harry said sheepishly. "I was nervous, I couldn't make myself climb the steps."

"It's ok; I guess I should have expected as much from Harry the cowardly Gryffindor."

"Cowardly Gryffindor, that's an oxymoron." Harry teased shyly.

Draco chuckled. "I suppose it is," he agreed and then asked, "How did you know it was me?"

Harry blushed. "I was hiding in the hallway when you came down. I saw you leave."

"Oh," Draco said softly. "Did you get my rose?"

Harry nodded. "I must have sat here for nearly half an hour just holding it before I finally took it back to the dorm with me."

"So um," Draco looked out uncharacteristically nervous, "What, um, I mean…"

"Draco," Harry said softly grabbing the other's attention, "I've been in love with you since second year."

Draco blushed, but covered it up with a smirk. "Really? I've been heels over arse for you since year one." Harry hadn't noticed that Draco had kept one hand behind his back the whole time until that hand suddenly appeared holding pink flowers.

"Primrose," Harry said softly, "I can't live without you." He reached out a hand to take the blooms.

"Harry," Draco said before Harry could grab the flowers, "Please don't take these unless you mean what you said. I'm not interested in being hurt by you. If none of this means anything to you, then just walk away now. I don't want a part time lover, or just a plaything. And I don't want to have to hide how I feel for you. If you're not willing to openly date me or if you're just looking to-"

His sentence was cut off by the feel of Harry's warm hand gently wrapping around his own. "Draco, I'm not looking to be hurt by you either. If I was, then I would have confessed to you back in second year when I thought all I felt was a schoolyard crush." He lightly pulled the flowers from the blond's hand. "I don't want to have to hide either and I'm certainly not looking to just fool around. I want to build something lasting."

Harry's gemstone eyes locked with Draco's pools of liquid silver. The Gryffindor gave a small smile and Draco smile back, before turning his eyes to the hand that Harry had just taken the primroses from. Harry had slipped something else into his grasp. Draco uncurled his finger and grinned widely before turning back to Harry and closing the distance between them. They kissed long and deep, holding on to each other as primroses and a sprig of mistletoe fell to the ground.

_Arbutus, Gardenia, and Forget-me-nots …_

It was a bold gesture made from the heart, one that declared deep affection and no fear of showing it. It was dinner time the next evening and all were gathered in the Great Hall to enjoy their meal. Harry was sitting with the Gryffindors talking about the upcoming Hogsmeade's weekend when Draco stood and strode purposefully across the hall. Harry had stopped mid-sentence when he saw his boyfriend coming his way, causing the rest of the Gryffindors to look up and follow his gaze. Harry hadn't told his housemates that it had been Draco sending him the flowers, only that is was someone he's had a crush on for a long time and decided to start dating, then he assured them they would all find out who the mystery guy was soon enough.

So imagine the shock of the Gryffindors, and the rest of the school for that matter, when Draco walked right up to Harry and handed him a small bouquet of white flowers. Harry smiled broadly. "Arbutus and gardenia, 'thee only do I love' and 'you're lovely'." He recited, having memorized the flower language by now. "You out do me," he said reaching under the table where he had concealed his gift for Draco.

He handed the Slytherin a cluster of blue flowers. "Forget-me-nots," the corner of Draco's mouth twitched up in what could have passed for a smile, "true love and memories, I do believe its you who out did me."

Harry grinned with fake haughtiness. "Well I suppose I did, I've always managed to outshine you, haven't I."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Conceited git."

Harry stood and wrapped his arms around Draco."Yeah, but you love this conceited git." He teased.

"Suppose I do," Draco said gazing into Harry eyes. "Do you think me kissing you right now will give your little lion friends all heart attacks?"

"I don't know, but it'll sure kill a couple of your snakes."

Draco's arms wound around Harry's waist and he pulled the slightly smaller boy closer. "I could live with that," he said before closing the distance between the two of them and connecting their lips in a passionate kiss. Harry was sure he heard some squeals and some thuds like falling bodies, but he couldn't care less as Draco's lips worked so expertly against his own.

_Forsythia…_

The forsythia flower was one of bold yellow coloring and a meaning of anticipation. There was a vase of them sitting on the end table in the Room of Requirement that Harry had barely had chance to glance at before Draco lowered him down onto the bed, kissing hungrily at his lips and tugging at his clothes. Harry was just as eager as Draco to have the blond stripped naked on the bed. It was almost a feral lust that prompted their actions. Driven by mutual need for carnal fulfillment, they kissed and yanked at clothing, grinded against each other and burned in their touches.

Harry gripped the sheets tightly in his fist as he felt the first signs of intrusion in his hidden flower. He squirmed at the strange feeling but did not ask for Draco to stop. Harry chewed on his lower lip as the second finger joined the first giving a tingly burning sensation but still didn't ask for him to stop. There was pain accompanied with the third digit and he let out a surprised gasp of breath. After that all he felt was the pleasurable melting sensation of his prostate being stimulated.

Harry had never felt as complete as he did when Draco slowly pushed his thick shaft into Harry's puckered entrance. The whole world melted away after that and all that was left was him and Draco moving together, loving each other. There was just him and Draco and the flowers on the table.

_Sweet peas…_

The pink and violet sweet pea flowers were handed to him before they departed from King's Cross Station. They held each other one last time, and shared one final kiss before the went their separate ways, promising to write each other over the summer and to get together if that was possible. Harry smiled sadly as he watched his lover walk away leaving him with only the flowers that meant goodbye.


End file.
